Not a way to Run a city?

A week is a long time in Politics. 7 days ago news began to leak about Leeds City Council's decision to cancel the 2008 Leeds Half Marathon. Predictably there was a back lash from marathon runners many of whom were already in training. They hadn't been consulted over the decision and many only found out when they rang up to try and register. Cue media and letters page outrage over the decision and phone calls to Councillors. Then the official justification began to unravel (a) the marathon was expensive ( but only it seems £1ok) (b) it was to concentrate on the Jane Tomlinson memorial 1okm fund run. But Jane was a runner and cancelling a well established run to hold a separate one in her name seemed odd? the family had not be involved in the decision. In any case even as a none runner I can tell you that a 10 km fun run is a very different kettle of fish to a half marathon. Then finally today the main local daily tabloid, the YEP launched a formal campaign to reinstate the race, having already given the issue acres of coverage.

It shouldn't surprise anyone then that this afternoon the Council caved in and the race will go ahead this year albeit later in the year. My question is this. Is this whole farrago a failure of democracy or a triumph? My answer is both.

The incident ( and I could quote numerous other examples) highlights the role of Councillors in righting wrongs but how excluded they are from the decision making process in the first place. The decision was made by officers by " Delegated Decision" whereby Council officers use very wide ranging operational powers without reference to Councillors. The only consultation about cancelling a well respected and well established city wide event was with a handful of Councillors (out of 99) who attend Leader Management Team. Its not unfair to say that this body handles an enormous amount of business and I would query how much attention it would have given to an operational matter like this.

The anarco-liberal in me believes that the vast majority of our 99 councillors can be excluded from these processes for so long. But when Bonkers and politically unsustainable decisions go public then our power returns. I haven't met anyone who hasn't sympathised with the emails and calls we have received from a ( admittedly very well organised) but passionate campaign by some of the City's running clubs. That sense of complete unfairness has very quickly been made known the powers that be ergo the prompt and complete U turn.

I'm sure that that many will seek to make political capital out of this sorry affair and to some extent the job has been done for them. I still think though there is a place for the elegant U turn in politics. A big mistake was made and when every one found out about it, we put it right quickly. Of course this shouldn't have gone wrong in the first place. perhaps if we were a bit more liberal and had more devolved and transparent decision making structures then it wouldn't have done. The difference between officers and councillors is this. Councillors are elected, removable accountable and tied into communities with political antenna. No one that ever run for public office would have thought you'd be able to get away with such high handed behaviour towards well organised and committed people at such short notice. Of course officers are technically experts in their fields but in a Democracy the former always should trump the later. Officers advise , Members decide as the old adage goes. When Councils stray to far from that the electorate has habit of reasserting control themselves.